How to Lose 20 Pounds in 2 weeks- 7 Scientific Weight-Loss Methods

D o you want to get in shape quick for an upcoming occasion like wedding, vacation, reunion, or a trip to the beach? Are you constantly bugged by thinking how to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks?

You most probably are if you are reading this.

I am going to explain you some highly effective and working weight loss tips that have been tried and tested by millions of people around the world and got desired results.

Here is how you too can do this easily.

Trying to do away with 20 pounds of excess fat in just 2 weeks of the insanely short period of time is a highly daunting task, but still, not impossible.

All you have to do is make some simple changes to your lifestyle and diet, and most importantly, stick to them throughout the period, which most just fail to do (1).

On the other side, there are other options too such as surgery, weight loss pills & supplements, and body weight loss products, which frankly suit mostly the lazy people or those who have underlying genetic causes

Otherwise, fat loss done by changing the lifestyle and diet is considered a natural weight loss process scientifically and is a healthier choice for a long-term transformation

With the following fruitful approaches, you won’t ever have to think of the other methods that only aim to provide a short-term solution to your overweight problem and often come with their own downsides in the form of high cost, risks, andindirect damaging effects on your body.

1.2 How Much Water Should You Drink Daily?

On an average, drink more than 64 ounces (around 2 liters) of water per day. But if are more overweight, follow this handy rule- Drink “half of your body weight in ounces of water,” i.e., For a body weight of 180 pounds, you should drink 90 ounces of water.

It is even better if you drink 1.5 liters of water, over and above your usual intake (8).

CONCLUSION

Drink more than 2 liters of water per day, better if cold.

Replace other beverages with water.

Drink water before a meal in order to consume fewer calories.

2. Eat Frequently

Don’t confuse it with ‘Eating More.’

You just have to eat more ‘often’ and also keep your calories in check at the same time.

Eating 6 meals a day in place of the regular 3 meals a day is an effective weight loss strategy as long as you can keep an eye on ‘what you eat’ and ‘how much you eat’ (9).

2.5 What Goes Wrong While Eating More Often?

Most of the weight-loss enthusiasts who go for 6 meal plan end up doing more harm to their weight loss goals.

They consume way more calories this way than they could have consumed with a 3-meals-a-day plan.

The main culprits are-

Junk foods (processed foods, refined carbs, sugary drinks) that could be easily overeaten and you will still have some space in your belly for more.

Unregulated portion sizes.

Abstain from repeating these mistakes.

CONCLUSION

Eat smaller meals more ‘often (around 5-6 times a day).

Keep your daily intake of calories below 1300 mark.

Also, stay off the junk food.

3. Limit Your Salt Intake

Although sodium lacks calories, it can still bring about undesired consequences such as weight gain, indirectly (13).

3.1 What Does Excess Sodium Do To Your Body?

Your body typically maintains a sodium/water balance for its biochemical processes, which very much resembles sea water. When there is an influx of sodium, your body starts retaining more water to keep that balance in place (14).

However, this extra weight is temporary and gets flushed out of your body when you reduce your sodium intake and start drinking more water, says Dr. Jack D. Osman of Towson University.

Even though temporary, this for sure can give off false readings during your weight loss period, which in turn can discourage you and throw you off your weight loss plan.

3.2 Which Sources to Cut Off From?

These sources not only bring excess sodium into your system but also load you up with more calories:

Packaged snacks and fast foods

Deli Meats

Breakfast cereals

Canned soups and vegetables

Flavor packets and condiments

Frozen meals

Spaghetti sauce

Dairy products

Processed Meats

3.3 How Much Sodium to Consume in A Day?

For a rapid weight loss, your daily intake of sodium should never exceed 1,500 milligrams or 0.75 teaspoon.

It’s better if you keep your consumption strictly around 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams, which will only help you in losing your weight faster.

Go for only ‘low sodium’ products that provide 140 mg or less per serving.

CONCLUSION

Consume only 0.75 teaspoon of salt per day.

If you eat more salt, drink water too to flush it out.

Prefer low salt products. Read the label before consuming.

4. Add Negative Calorie Foods to Your Diet

Negative calorie fruits and vegetables play a crucial role when you have to flatten your flabby stomach (15). For that reason, these foods have grabbed quite a lot of eyeballs of fitness seekers lately.

Read on to know what are negative calorie foods and what foods fall into this category

4.1 What Are Negative Calorie Foods?

These foods require more energy to chew, digest, and absorb than they themselves contain.

So basically, while digesting a negative-calorie food, your body not only nullifies those extra calories you consumed along with the food but also burns more of your own calories to retrieve the required energy and complete the entire digestion process.

What this means is that you are only burning your body fat in eating them, which is exactly what we want.

Moreover, negative-calorie foods are rich in nutrition, contain high fiber, and have a low glycaemic index

Moreover, the levels of ‘appetite-reducing hormone’ Leptin begin to fall, further signaling your brain to eat more (24).

⇒ This imbalance in the levels of these two hormones makes you eat more and gain extra weight.

Moreover, when you make ‘sleeping too little’ your habit, there begins a rise in the level of ‘stress hormone’ Cortisol.It makes your bodysave energy in order to fuel up your activities during your waking hours (25).

Other than that, insulin sensitivity also drops by over 30%.
Insulin is required by your body to convert your food into energy. With insulin in scarcity, your body finds it difficult to process bloodstream fats and ends up storing it as fat (26).

7.2 How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep?

Keep your bedroom only for sleep and sex rather than work or entertainment.

Bhupendra is a postgraduate in Biotechnology and the founder of 'Healthy Living Trends.' With a fine understanding of Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Biochemistry, he brings out in this blog how the things actually work inside your body. When he is not writing, you can find him in quiet natural places.